Survey 104: Sizing a Niche Structural Heart Market
A two-phase study of US cardiologists paired a broad screen with a targeted survey to size demand for closing iatrogenic atrial septal defects.
A manufacturer wanted to size the market for closing iatrogenic atrial septal defects (iASDs), the small holes that can remain after transseptal procedures.
The study ran in two phases.
Phase 1 consisted of 13 qualitative Zoom interviews lasting 45 to 60 minutes with nine interventional cardiologists and four electrophysiologists. These explored decision-making on closure and crossing and tested the survey.
Phase 2 was a 25-minute online survey. To qualify, physicians had to close iASDs, cross-septal occluders, or both. That focused the sample on relevant experience.
Of 173 physicians screened, 63% had experienced a procedure in which an iASD required closure or monitoring, 39% had personally closed one, and 49% had crossed a septal occluder.
The final survey sample was 104: 79 interventional cardiologists and 25 electrophysiologists.
Routing by experience mattered. Electrophysiologists were rarely involved in closure, so most of their input came on crossing, where they had direct experience.
Pairing a broad screen with a targeted survey gave the client both an estimate of how common these situations are and detailed data from physicians who handle them.
